Countdown to home

It's been awhile since my last post--my apologies for my lengthy absence!

Well, there are 9 more days until the program is officially over--can't believe it's gone by so quickly!  However, I feel like I've hit a wall.  I'm tired, and I'm feeling more and more ready to go home. (The coffee vending machine in the lobby has become a life-source...and it's only 50 euro cents!) However, I realized last night, that as soon I arrive home, summer will over and I will have to hit the ground running again for school.   

I already ordered some of my textbooks, so they will be waiting for me when I come home...not my idea of a "welcome home" present, but life moves on. 

I feel that I have learned so much since being here.  I may not have gotten a bunch of performance opportunities like I wanted, but it gave me time to focus on my own training.  Not only have I learned about opera and singing, but I have learned a lot about myself.  I learned what I need to focus on.  I feel that I took a big leap being here, and I feel that I am slowly chipping away at this wall I have put up for myself.  I give you, in list format, a few general things I have learned over the past 5 weeks:

--Improvement is a gradual process...nothing happens overnight.

--Old habits die hard

--It is OKAY to make mistakes. 

--breaking out of your box is a wonderful feeling!  

--Sometimes doing a little thing means a lot. 

--Everyone has an opinion and is entitled to it.  You have the choice to accept it or throw it out the window.

--Comparing yourself to others is toxic and a waste of energy.  Why do it?  (easier said than done...)

--Politics are stupid, but unfortunately unavoidable.

--You have to look out for yourself and what is best for you in this business.  Only YOU can do that.

--Singing is an ART, as well as a science.  Don't be too focused on the latter. 

--Singing is an intricate balance.  It involves a lot of multitasking, patience, dedication, and therapy :)

  

This list could go on for pages.  But after all is said and done, I think I have some ideas of what I need to do this year and ideas for my post-graduation plans next year. 

Speaking of "plans," my goal is to make the most of my final days in Österreich.  Next week, a friend and I have booked hotel rooms and train tickets for Salzburg and Vienna...I'm so excited!!  Salzburg is about 4 hours away and Vienna is 2 hours away from Graz. They both will be whirlwind trips, and we will cram as much as we can into our trips, but will be very exciting, potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!  This certainly has been the summer of a lifetime!  I went to Hawai'i in June, Graz in July/August, and I will be going to Salzburg, Vienna, followed by a quick jaunt to Germany to visit relatives.  All these trips will be awesome and memorable, but I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed! :)

Auf weidesehen!